Mid-Atlantic Information

Cigarette butts, grocery bags, scraps of fishing nets, foam coffee cups,
fast food containers, soda bottles, rope, six-pack rings, balloons and
balloon ribbons are some of the types of materials that can be
found floating in the ocean. And, as the coastal population has risen
and society has turned from degradable natural materials to synthetic
ones, the trash problem in the ocean has gotten worse. The primary sources
of ocean debris include storm sewers, illegal dumping, littering, balloon
releases, commercial and recreational boats, and commercial shipping.

Marine animals can become caught in discarded fishing nets and lines,
grocery bags, six-pack rings, ribbons, and other floating debris.

Some animals mistakenly eat the man-made materials. Endangered sea turtles,
for example, consume floating trash bags and balloons, likely mistaking
them for jellyfish. Several seabird species have been found to swallow
plastic pieces and cigarette butts. These materials can damage the animals'
digestive systems. In addition, animals may stop eating because their
stomachs feel full and starve to death.

Tourists may not visit shore areas that have debris on the beaches and
in the water, causing an economic hardship.

Find
out how to participate in the National
Marine Debris Monitoring Program,
a joint effort of EPA and the Ocean Conservancy. This program
has been designed to scientifically determine whether marine debris is
increasing or decreasing along our nation's coastlines and identify the
major sources of the debris.